1. The Scottish Sea Bird Centre

Just 30 minutes from Edinburgh by train, the seaside town of North Berwick has been called "the Biarritz of the North" (perhaps by someone with a dry sense of humour). It is home to the Bass Rock, an extinct volcano described by Sir David Attenborough, a man who knows about such things, as "one of the wildlife wonders of the world" because of its rock gannet colony. You can take boat trips to the Rock.

2. Inchcolm Island

A sliver of land in the middle of the Firth of Forth, Inchcolm Island has been of strategic importance since Roman times right up until the second world war, when it was fortified in the event of an attack on Edinburgh. Visited by St Columba in the sixth century, it's now home to an impressive abbey – hence it is known as the Iona of the east. Great views of Edinburgh from the beach.

· Catch the Maid of Forth ferry from South Queensferry. The trips are three hours in duration, with one and a half hours on shore. Adult £10, child £3.50

3. Hopetoun House

Set in 150 acres of parkland and woodland, with its own deer park, Hopetoun House is one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in the UK. As well as the surroundings, including views of the Forth and the magnificence of the house itself, there's a smashing tearoom.

4. Linlithgow Palace

Perched beside a lovely loch and beside the 15th-century St Michael's Church (which is topped with a terribly modern steeple), Linlithgow Palace was where Mary Queen of Scots was born in 1542. Two hundred years later, it was visited by Bonnie Prince Charlie and was mostly destroyed in 1746 by the Duke of Cumberland's advancing army.

5. Gullane

Blessed with both beaches and golf courses, there are plenty of wonderful walks to be had in Gullane, a lovely town to the east of Edinburgh along the A198. Probably the finest beach is Gullane Bents, which is a rather lovely place to picnic.

6. Traquair Castle, Innerleithen

Though there's plenty to recommend Traquair Castle – a cute museum, Mary Queen of Scots memorabilia, a brewery in the grounds – the biggest thrill to be had in this stately home 29 miles from Edinburgh is wandering around the maze, planted in 1981, which covers an acre and a half and is a quarter of a mile from edge to centre. It's a challenge best not undertaken after a visit to the brewery.

·Traquair Castle; 44 (0)1896 830323. Open March, April, May and Sept, 12pm–5pm, June to Aug, 10.30am–5pm, Oct to Nov, 11am-3pm. Entry to house and grounds: Adult £6.50, child £3.50

7. Shark diving in Fife

You don't have to go as far as South Africa to get your Jaws experience. Shark diving in Fife's Deep Sea World involves jumping in an aquarium rather than the big blue and there are no Great Whites; however, this means you won't have suffer the North Sea's biting temperatures and, as the resident Sand Tiger sharks aren't considered dangerous to humans, no protective cages are needed. To get there, just board a train over the Forth Bridge to North Queensferry from Waverley or Haymarket in Edinburgh city centre (15 mins).

8. Beecraigs Country Park

Among other things in the 913 acres of the park, which sits in the Bathgate Hills near Linlithgow, you'll find a deerpark, a saw mill, a fishery and facilities for outdoor pursuits, such as archery, canoeing, climbing and orienteering. Alternatively, you could just take a picnic and relish the countryside instead.

9. Musselburgh

Dubbed "the honest toun", Musselburgh is perched on the coastal outskirts of Edinburgh and is blessed, not just with picturesque scenery, a dandy beach and good travel links to the city centre, but also a racecourse and – most important of all - one of Scotland's most famous ice cream parlours – S Luca. Founded in the town in 1908, it's one of many established in the country by Italian immigrants and, to this day, it remains a family business.

10. Glasgow

Sacrilegious though it sounds, a visit to Edinburgh's grittier sister city takes only 50 minutes by train and counts, during festival time anyway, as an oasis of calm with nary a stilt walker, desperate student theatre company or mime artist to be seen. Although there may be the occasional busker on Buchanan Street, known for its shopping, or in the café-dotted streets of the Merchant City, Glasgow could nevertheless provide welcome respite from the crowds of Edinburgh. Providing you dodge the radges, drunks and neds.